


Till the stars had run away

by STILL_not_ginger



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Near Death Experiences, Regeneration, Romance, The Sound of Music References, whouffaldi, whouffle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-17 09:12:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14185698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STILL_not_ginger/pseuds/STILL_not_ginger
Summary: Clara Oswin Oswald was a name that had come to mean many things to many different people. To the Time Lords she was the impossible girl, the prophesied Hybrid, the companion of the oncoming storm and a powerful force to be reckoned with. To her colleagues back on Earth she had been Clara the more-than-slightly-bossy English teacher with a bit of a height complex that they all knew far better than to bring to her attention. But, to The Doctor, she was what she always was and would be in his eyes, as he sat at her bedside holding her hand to his hearts. She was Clara. His Clara. And she was dying.





	1. Till the stars had run away

**Author's Note:**

> Hello All!
> 
> This is my very first fic ever so I am nervous about posting this. Feel free to comment prompts and I will do my best to do them justice. Constructive criticism is always appreciated so please feel free to tell me what you think about my story ^^

***8 hours earlier…***

“Doctor! Have you got any idea what time it is?” Clara said sitting up a little to squint at the clock on her bedside table.

“Its 5:13 pm. Bit early to be going to bed, don’t you think, Clara? You could only have gotten home from school a moment ago. Is your menopause acting up?” He said with a scowl, whipping the sonic out of his coat pocket and flipping through settings to scan her nervous system.

“My what?!” She fumed. “And it is 5:13 AM, Doctor! AM!” She shouted, her voice straining with indignation. She wasn’t sure if she was more upset to be awoken 2 hours earlier than she had planned or to have a sonic thrust in her face first thing in the morning under suspicion of menopause.

“Would you cut that out!” she snapped, yanking the sonic from his grip and promptly tossing it across the room before sinking back into the mattress and pulling a spare pillow over her head.

“Oh, sure!” he said, his tone drenched in sarcasm as he bent to retrieve the screwdriver. “Take out your lack of estrogen on the sonic. Come now, don’t let a little thing like hot flashes put you in a foul mood. I have an excellent planet planned for today! The hills are quite literally alive and sing all sorts of different genres. I hear the classic rock mountain chain is to die for!”

“Mmmph!” She half moaned half screamed into her pillows before kicking the covers off and bouncing into a cross-legged sitting position on the bed. Huffing out a breath she blew a stray strand of hair from her face. “I swear to God we have got to work on your social skills. What ever happened to those note cards I gave you, hm? No, no don’t answer that. I don’t want to hear how the TARDIS moved the draw you put them in again. And for god’s sake, Doctor! I’m 29! 29-year-olds do not go into menopause!”

“Well, how am I to know?! We look practically the same age and you humans don’t have the superior biolo-…” He trailed off catching the furious expression on her face and decided a change of tactics was in order. “Anyway, come on. Let’s go. You’ll forgive me when you hear Mount Evanescence.”

“Doctor, I’m still in my pyjamas. I can’t go looking like this.” She said scooting to the edge of the bed and dangling her feet over the floor.

“You humans and your vanit…vanities and closets are in no short supply in the Tardis, as you well know. I’m sure you can find something suitable.” He said doing a verbal 180 when he caught her hand tensing in preparation to slap him. He tried to put on his best innocent smile.

“Okay.” She relented, unable to resist his owlish grin. “But, I am NOT leaving without a cup of coffee first.” And, muttering under her breath something about “5:00-bloody-AM” and “sleep deprivation”, she got up to make her way to the kitchen while he all but dashed into the TARDIS full of excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points for anyone that got the "Sound of Music" reference. I love that movie! Off to a good start. There will be some angst but bear with me!


	2. And the shadows eaten the moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Clara go to visit a planet where the hills are alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the Kudos and for reading my story! I never thought anyone would read it so it warms my heart ^^
> 
> Let's see what happens when our two favorite idiots go on a trip.

“Planet A-Delta-Weiss!” The Doctor beamed as he began pulling levers and flipping switches, most of which, Clara had a sneaking suspicion, did nothing at all but stop him fidgeting for a moment’s time. “Famous for the sentient tectonic plates beneath its crust. They rather took a liking to all forms of music when they were exposed to a compressed data wave you pudding brains sent out into a wormhole around the year 2 billion, if I remember correctly. The result…” He said pulling the parking break dramatically and dashing to pull open the door. “Is this!”

Clara smiled with dimples forming in her cheeks and excitement written all over her face. Her anticipation building as she ran through the door which the Doctor had swung open. She cupped her hands behind her ears struggling to smother a fit of giggles and straining to take it all in…but she heard nothing. She turned back to look at the Doctor. His expression had turned somewhat grave.

She rushed over in earnest to where he stood now frozen still. “Doctor, what’s wrong? Why isn’t there any music?”

The smile that once graced his features was now replaced with a frown of introspective thought and now he realized it. Why not before? Why did he only notice it now?! He mentally flogged himself while Clara grew only more concerned at his sudden emotional shift. “Clara…Clara get back inside the TARDIS.”

“What is it Doctor? What’s wrong?"

He turned to her then with seriousness carved into the lines about his face and repeated himself, his voice growing louder. “Clara, NOW!"

“Doctor, what is going on? You’re scaring me.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Clara! For once will you just DO as you are told?!” He snapped at her and instantly felt ashamed of himself for losing his temper at her. Wishing she understood the gravity of her situation.  
Her expression betrayed how hurt she felt by his outburst. She was frightened already and now looked as him with those large glassy eyes accusing him as though he were the cause of her fear. Huffing past him with arms crossed she withdrew into the TARDIS. She didn’t understand him and felt conflicted between anger at him for going off at her and fear for what had caused his sudden mood swing. What was he so upset about all of a sudden? What happened to the singing hills?  
The Doctor walked slowly into the TARDIS following her. His face was made of stone and fury. His eyes cold and calculating. She could see him thinking something through at a million miles an hour. A tense silence hung in the air.

“Doctor…Doctor! What is it? What’s wrong? She said her alarm clear as her voice began to reflect her minds state of panic. “Bloody look at me!” She said marching to where he stood and taking him firmly by the arms, shaking him in frustration.

The Doctors eyes slowly drew up from the floor until they rested on Clara’s face. “Clara…Clara I….” He lifted his hands slowly, as if he were trying not to frighten away a small animal, and locked his forearms with hers. His hands shook and his voice had wavered. It was then that Clara saw it. The fear in his eyes but of what she did not know.

“Doctor.” She said struggling to keep her voice level. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“…Because…” He began, his voice almost a whisper. “…that was not A-Delta-Weiss”. He said this with a tone of remorse and his eyes roved over her face searching for understanding. “That was A-Beta-Weiss. The…” His voice broke slightly and he began again. “The first planet on this side of the universe to get infected with the Niarian Virus.”

Clara thought she understood what he meant. He was afraid she would get sick. “Oh, for the love of everything, don’t scare me like that! All of this over what a…a Space-Cold? Don’t you have some sort of super multivitamin from the future or something?”

“Clara, you don’t understand….The Niarian virus it’s not just a cold. Think about it! Use your pudding brain and consider the planet you just saw!” He let out with a little more force than he had intended. And then he saw the recognition flash into her eyes. The planet was not just without music. It was devoid of any sound or anything at all. Just lonely hills of dry grass swaying in the wind.

“No sign...” she said softly as if testing the words out. “No signs of life.” She uttered with more confidence into the silent console room. A silence stretched out between them and she could hear her own heart pounding in her ears. She recoiled from his grasp as if burned, not wanting him to see her like this, and turned her back to him to hide her face.

He followed after her standing only inches away. She could feel his presence behind her and spun to face him, looking up into his eyes, as hot tears threated to spill out of her own. “Doctor…” she shuddered out a breath full of nerves and fear. “Have I been infected? Am I going to die?” At that he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead down to rest on hers. She closed her own eyes as the tears started flowing down her cheeks. He reached out to hold her wrists where her arms hung at her sides motionless. He could feel her tremble and she felt rather than heard him say the word that echoed in her mind.

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop me a comment to let me know what you thought of it. Chapter 3 is coming soon! I haven't entirely decided where I am taking this yet.


	3. Ah penny, brown penny, brown penny...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His Clara is sick and dying. What can The Doctor do to save his impossible girl?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the 3rd chapter. I thought of waiting to post this until I have more of chapter 4 written but here you go!

Clara’s condition deteriorated rapidly. A fever like no other overtook her which drained her of all energy. Sweat beaded up on her brow and dripped under her knees. Tremors shook her to the core and set her teeth chattering together. The Doctor paced anxiously by her side. She shivered and burned grasping at handfuls of the duvet. Poaching in her own perspiration.

“How could this have happened?” He asked himself furiously. He was so careful with her. So careful. Always double checking his coordinates. Always making sure the point in the time stream was just right. Even the TARDIS took care not to put the fragile human, whom her thief treasured so much, into any mortal danger. “There must be a way.” He though desperately. There had to be some way to save her. He knew full well there were no known cures to the virus. A virus which originated so far from the other side of the universe that no immune system had seen its match before. Without fail it killed within 8 hours. Men, women, and children. It had no qualms over the lives it took.

“Doctor.” Clara called out weakly. Instantly he rushed to kneel by her side. She lay in her bed on the TARDIS. Too risky to bring her home and spread this awful sickness. “Clara.” He whispered as softly as a prayer. “Doctor…there is something…I need…to tell you.” She managed in between ragged breaths. His hearts ached to see her like this. He would do anything to switch places with her.

“Not now, Clara. Rest. You need to conserve your energy. Just rest a little longer and I will come up with something. I promise…I just…I just need more…” He struggled to speak over the lump in his throat. His eyes burned and it took nearly all of his willpower to hold the tears back. He had to be strong when she needed him. He could not let her face this alone and afraid.

“Time?” She finished for him. “Yeah. Not sure…I’ve got much that left.” She tried to joke with the smallest of smiles. “Doctor, I really lo-…” Her eyes flickered up towards him but she went silent at the look on his face.

“Clara please not now.” He begged of her. “Not like this!” He snapped and immediately he wished to die. How he could treat her like this when he has caused this? What right did he have to be upset when she was lying on her death bed? He cared for her so much but had never said it in so many words. He didn't think he had to. Surely by now she knew, didn't she? But the thought of her leaving him and of him being truly alone again terrified him.

He reached out and encompassed her small hand in both of his and gently pressed a kiss to her fingers. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…” He stuttered and couldn’t finish his sentence but he knew from the look in her eyes that he didn’t have to. His contrition for his outburst was practically palpable, his features dripping with regret, and he tenderly drew their joined hands close to rest over his hearts.

She looked deep into his eyes with hers that held such faith in him, so much adoration openly displayed in those large glassy pools of umber. Her breathing was labored and he wished so desperately to take her burden from her. And, for once, he cursed his “superior biology” that he had often esteemed so highly. He regretted his very essence as a Time Lord, regarding his body as a traitor.

Even now with her hair saturated by sweat and clinging to her forehead she remained so beautiful to him and so fragile. He considered her like a tiny work of glass art. Lovely to behold but far too easy to break. Meant to be admired and not to be held. But, the Doctor never was one much for following the rules.

He leaned down close with his face hovering mere inches from hers. Her eyes locked on his hypnotically. Willing him to come closer. Pleading for understanding. Aching for recognition. He blinked tears from his eyes that dripped onto her round cheeks flushed red with fever and he bent closer until he could feel her breath on his lips and smell the faintest hints of her strawberry shampoo. She stilled now, her breathing deliberately slower, he could hear the irregularity of her heartbeat. Closing the distance, with the utmost care and love in his hearts, he softly pressed his lips to hers.

And, in that moment, he wished with all his being that he could make her well.

Even in her current state a small hum of approval escaped from her throat. She felt alive. Not like a sick person on her deathbed. Every sense was awakened. Every cell of her body tingled with joy. She loosed her hand from his and curled it around the back of his neck to tenderly pull him closer and deepen the kiss. It was like he was the medicine she had needed for so long now and he tasted of tea with lemon and smelt of stardust and old books. Her lips brushed languidly against his as if he was the air she breathed and to pull away would be the end of everything. It was as if her whole world were suspended over her and exploring her mouth with his own in earnest. The Doctor broke the kiss to let her up for air, his eyes fluttering open slowly as he jumped back in shock. His attack eyebrows shot up on high alert.

“Clara!” He exclaimed in surprise. “You-You’re regenerating!”

Clara Oswald glowed as she sat up surprised by the Doctor’s reaction. Hazy trails of yellow energy wrapped themselves around her extremities weaving through her fingers and curling around her neck. Her face, full of concern, shone bright as the sun. The air around her seemed to shimmer and sparkle. And the Doctor passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger, guys. I will update with chapter 4 soon!


	4. One cannot begin it too soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara and the Doctor confront the aftermath of the Niarian Flu.

The forest at night was as dark as soot and the Doctor ran through the gaps between the trees. He tripped over fallen twigs and branches and brambles nipped at the hems of his plaid trousers. "Clara!" he called out raggedly. But the tiny silhouette in front of him made no attempt to slow her pace, instead plunging headlong through a tight patch of shrubs.. "Wait" he pleaded and willed his legs to carry him faster as he narrowly ducked under a low hanging limb. His eyes strained through the thick gloom of nightfall that now overtook the wooded terrain. Despite his best efforts he just couldn't seem to get any closer to her. Reaching his hand out towards her arm he urged himself forward and just barely missed his mark by tripping over a twisted vine.

It seemed impossible to him that anyone will legs so short could move so quickly through the dense undergrowth surrounding them. She bounded and turned almost effortlessly, scooching through cramped spaces and winding her way through the trees. " Clara wai-!", he started to say right as he tripped over a loose stone and went tumbling forward face first into the hard forest floor. Not missing a beat he hastily he pushed himself up and sprang back into a sprint, not wanting to lose sight of her in the darkness."

"Doctor" she said and her words echoed all around him like a breeze rustling through the leaves. He stretched a hand out towards her but he was not quite close enough to reach her. He scrambled to get there. His hearts drummed in his chest and his lungs burned with exertion. He felt his knees wobble and threaten to give way beneath him. Her shadowy outline was getting closer. He was almost to her now. The tree line began to thin out and the forest floor started to incline upwards. And then suddenly she vanished before him beneath the dark horizon as though the ground had swallowed her up. The Doctor skidded to a halt his gaze searching desperately for purchase in the nearly pitch-dark. A thin crescent moon offered little in the way of light but he could barely make out something directly in front of him. He bent forward and strained his eyes to see what was before him. "Clara!" he exclaimed in shock. There she hung gripping the cliffs edge with one tiny hand, her left arm hanging limply by her side. She slowly brought her finger to rest on her lips and shushed him calmly. "Doctor." she breathed out again like a whisper. Stepping closer to her he knelt down and reached for her hand to pull her up but it was too late. The loose handhold of the crumbling cliff gave way and Clara began to fall right before his eyes. "Doctor." she said louder now as the wind rushed through her hair and it whipped at her cheeks. "Doctor! Wake up!"

The Doctor awoke covered in sweat. His many layers clung to him and his eyes darted around as he tried to get his bearings. "Shhhhh. It's alright now. You were dreaming." Clara soothed from her seat at his bedside. His head ached in a dull sort of way and his vision was slightly blurred.

The Doctor sat up in his bed. Wait a minute. Not his bed. Not even his room. His eyebrows lowered into a frown as the realization dawned on him. He was laying in Clara's bed and she was observing him carefully with eyes full of concern. She looked to him a bit like she had been crying...or laughing maybe. It was always hard to tell with those eyes. Always flipping between emotions like most people flipped through the television channels. "How long was I um...?" He said in a hoarse voice. His throat felt a like someone had poured sand down it.

"About a day." She replied just a little too quickly to hide the anxiety she felt. "I-I couldn't wake you. I sat by your side to look after you and then I heard you calling out for me." The color on her cheeks deepened and she looked at him sheepishly.

An uncomfortable silence spread out between them as they both replayed the scene still fresh in their minds:

_Closing the distance, with the utmost care and love in his hearts, he softly pressed his lips to hers._

_She loosed her hand from his and curled it around the back of his neck to tenderly pull him closer and deepen the kiss._

_It was as if her whole world were suspended over her, exploring her mouth with his own in earnest._

Clara was the first to speak. "So are we going to talk about what happened?"

"About what?" the Doctor asked feigning ignorance even as he flushed pink in an almost visible line that slowly traveled up his face.

The concern melted quickly from her features and was replaced by annoyance "About that kiss." she said not backing down. If he was going to try to beat about the bush then she was having none of it today. Not after she had almost died and then he passed out unconscious for 23 hours 42 minutes and some-odd seconds. Not that she was counting. Because she wasn't. That was her story and she was sticking with it.

Scrubbing his hands over his face he let out a frustrated sigh and sprang up from the bed already making for the door. "Nothing to talk about" he said coldly.

"Not so fast, Doctor!" she said as she grabbed a fistful of his velvet coat sleeve and rose to follow him out. "I am an adult. You are an adult." Or at least some of the time he acted like one, she mentally corrected. "We are NOT going to just NOT discuss this!" she flailed her arms about, gesturing animatedly, with a look somewhere between disbelief and aggravation on her face. She stepped quickly to keep up with his pace as they neared the control room.

"Oh aren't we?" he mocked trying only slightly to rile her up because he secretly adored how she looked when she was mad. "Yes, ma'am! Well, go on then. You go first. I'm listening." He stopped suddenly and turned to face her then.

His eyes seemed to weaken her resolve as she stared into the intensity of his glare. "I-I...We...You! UGH!" she sputtered out half sentences and growled at him in frustration, her arms stiff at her sides with clenched fists. She wanted to stamp her foot like a petulant child but refrained from that urge in his presence.

"See?" He asked as though making his point. "Nothing to talk about. Now if you don't mind I have some very urgent things to attend to." And, at that he turned and instantly started busying himself flipping switches and swiveling the monitors into his view.

"What did you do to me?" she asked while she struggled to calm herself and keep her voice level.

He kept at the controls, turning now to the keyboard instead with a sudden interest, as though he hadn't even heard her question.

"Doctor..." she insisted with a hint of a warning in her tone.

"Nothing. Nothing! Well, should have been nothing...Evidently something. It can't see why it matters though. You're fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine. So can you please just let this go and stop interrogating me long enough for me to flush the materialization drives? The TARDIS hates it when I neglect them."

"No! No I am not going to bloody-well let this go! You...you just...I don't know...regenerated me or something and then fainted on me for nearly a day and I think I am entitled to an explanation! So if you don't start explaining this to me in the next 5 minutes I swear to God I will slap you so hard you'll regenerate."

"Oh, don't flatter yourself! It would take a lot more than a..." he started to say until he saw her hand beginning to raise and held up his own in surrender backing up against the console. "Alright. Okay." She took another threatening step forward, hand raised and a challenge in her eyes. "Okay okay okay." He waved his hands soothingly at her and tried for an innocent smile which came out looking more like a wince.

"Start. Talking."

"Yes boss." She was, evidently, not amused by his attempt to lighten the mood but lowered her hand nonetheless in order to cross her arms and lean back to rest her weight on one hip. 

"Well, to be fair, I didn't really know I _could_ do that. I mean, with you being human and all. I seem to have imparted just a wee bit of regeneration energy into you when I...well, when we..." He looked anywhere but in her eyes. "Y'know." he finished with a dismissive gesture. Drawing himself out of the memory he clarified, "Well, and I think that amount of energy was enough to repair any damage the flu had done, basically." He dared a glance at her face to see that her expression had softened. She was smiling gently at him and she stepped even closer towards him so that they were now standing face to face. Well, face to chest anyway, given the height difference. Her chin was tipped up slightly to maintain eye contact and the Doctor stood perfectly still as though he were being held at gunpoint.

Slowly she reached out for his hand which rested on the edge of the console, expecting him to flinch, but he didn't. He let her take his cold fingers into her warm grasp and did his best to keep his expression neutral as she ran her thumb across the backs of his knuckles with a feathers touch. He shivered inside at this small intimate gesture and his brows furrowed slightly as if he were confused. She took it as encouragement to carry on.

Carefully, so as not to spook him, she brought his hand up towards her face never once breaking eye contact. "Thank you." she said warmly, her breath tickling the hair on the back of his hand. "For saving my life." she clarified before she turned his hand over and pressed a delicate kiss into his palm.

His eyes crinkled slightly at the edges as he smiled down at her and said, "I have a duty of care." in a voice uncharacteristically shy. He withdrew his hand from hers and noted how she seemed to pout slightly at it's absence. Waiting a beat, unsure of his actions, he reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers which elicited the smallest of gasps. Not even noticing that he was leaning closer to her, he bent down, seemingly drawn to her like a magnet. His smile turned into a more thoughtful expression and his eyes darted down to her lips before quickly flickering back up to her eyes. He slid his fingers gently into the soft hair at the nape of her neck and he said in a husky whisper, "I should really flush those drives." but made no effort to back away from her, instead gently tugging her towards him.

Clara leaned into the Doctor, pressing her body against his that was perched on the edge of the console. She felt a flush of warmth overtake her and her heart pounded so hard she worried he could hear it. Nervous energy balled up and flipped over in her stomach and her breathing hitched just slightly as she parted her lips. His face was so close to hers now that she could feel the jittery energy that never allowed him to sit still longer than 5 minutes at a time. She could almost hear him thinking and questioning his next course of action. Not wanting to break the spell she spoke in a hushed whisper, "Oh." she feigned thoughtfulness "I think the TARDIS will get over it". Standing on her tip toes she coiled her arms about his waist and told with a smile on her lips, "Kiss me again, you silly old man."

"Yes, boss."

 

 

- _Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for sticking around for the last chapter. Your lovely comments have been so encouraging. Feel free to leave me writing prompts if you like ^^


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